[Flashback] Pages from my Pregnancy Journal: The first movement

I was only about 3.5 months pregnant, when one day lazying on the couch, after quite a rejuvenating short vacation in LA, I felt a flutter. My first reaction was, "Oh wow! It's the baby." But then, I tried to reason it could be some other discomfort too. I felt a little uncertain and when no other movement happened for the next couple of days, I dismissed the thought. At our next prenatal appointment, the doc couldn't confirm either.

We went to watch Rock of Ages sometime in the 4th month, and in the middle of the movie, I felt what was most definitely a kick. It was certain. During the next hour, there were a lot of movements and much to the embarrassment of Vish, I was extremely squirmish and uncomfortable. It was a late night show, and I just wanted to go sleep. Early morning, the next day, the movements were quite frequent again. It had to be the baby. Finally, I made Vish touch my belly, and he felt the movement. His first reaction, "Holy S@#!, the baby's kicking! How awesome is that!" The excitement in his voice was so endearing. Come to think of it - it was his first physical proof of the baby (apart from the ultrasound). 

After that, till the day I delivered, Vish would many a times during the day, come and try to tickle my tummy, or do something to get a reaction from inside. It didn't matter if I yelled and told him he was causing discomfort to me. He's dismiss me, saying, "I need to talk to my daughter, can't help it if you are the carrier." 

Haa! Carrier indeed!!!

[Flashback] Pages from my Pregnancy Journal: Finally, the baby bump shows!

I still remember going in for my 6th month prenatal appointment, and the nurse exclaiming, "Every time I look at you I wonder why she is here and then I see your file and I am reminded you are pregnant! You don't have a belly at all!"

Any other time, I would have loved the complement but at the fag end of my second trimester and nobody could really tell I was carrying - I was disappointed. Now that I look back, it all seems so stupid but at that time I hated the fact that I was fitting into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes and those that I didn't were just a wee bit tight at the waist! Hell! I wanted to go maternity clothes' shopping. In retrospect, it must have been my hormones acting up but at every visit to my OB/Gyn, I used to ask, "So when will I start showing." She'd quite cheerfully laugh my query off and say, "When you are ready."

And, swear to god, I developed a bump over night. In the first few days of my 3rd trimester, I just had a small little paunch - like the kinds you get when you eat a lot and don't exercise for a couple of months. But, by the end of the 7th month - I had quite the belly. The baby was showing alright. 

I was delighted but my ecstasy was short lived. A growing bump also meant more discomfort in sleeping, moving around, trimming toe nails, going up and down the stairs, etc. It also made strangers in malls and grocery stores, and parks, walk upto me with a knowing (and very annoying) smile and asking, "When are you due?" "You are carrying low, it has to be a girl!" "Do you know what you are having?" "Are you looking forward to being a mommy?" 

The funniest experience was when I was picking up fruits at an aisle in the grocery store and a very shy looking American guy (in his late 20s, maybe), walked upto me and said, "Hello, How are you doing? I just wanted to say Congratulations." I was taken aback and didn't realize why he was wishing me. He ever so hesitantly pointed at my tummy and said, "For that. All the best." Oh god, I laughed so loudly, I think I scared him. I did manage a giggly "thank you", though. Poor guy, hastily retreated to one of the other aisles.

Oh, and I cannot end without narrating this other equally hilarious incident. I was walking to the gym (those rare days when I'd come to a sudden realization that I need to be active to be fit), a neighbor's kid (a 5-6 years old boy) came running towards me and impishly grinned a hi! I gave him a warm hello and complimented him on his cap (a cool thing with lots of lights and all) - I was sure being a typical child he probably wanted to just show off his accessory. But I was wrong. He directed his finger to my bump, and said. "I know what's in there! My mom has it too but her's is bigger." If I didn't have a couple of other pairs of eyes focusing on this conversation and hence embarrassing me, I would have rolled on the grass laughing. 

Clearly, showing your growing baby in your belly is not an easy task!

Pregnancy Journal: Checked off my to-do!

Sometime during my first trimester, Vish and I bought a pregnancy journal from B&N - basically a scrapbook kind of structure with templates for information to fill in for each of the nine (very long) months, and also space for lots of pictures (of the parents-to-be and the trillion ultrasounds we went for). 

Given my acute morning sickness till the fourth month, I had hardly made progress on the journal. Then up-till the 9th month, I was very regular on the updates (after all I didn't want to forget small details). The journal ends with welcoming the baby, and it was that part that I hadn't been able to complete up until last night, when finally my last set of pics reached our mailbox.

The verdict: Ofcourse, I love it :D. Though, the one thing that I didn't like about the book is that it has everything from the mom-to-be's point of view. For example, details of my family, my pictures etc. - no space for daddy dear. So, we had to take extra effort to squeeze in pop-to-be's details. Everywhere I had to cut out Me etc. to Our, Us, and so on.

I am glad this one's off my checklist - I hope some day Manya has the time and the inclination to go through the journal, and appreciate the memories we have so carefully documented. (Now, would that be too much to ask from the Generation Z? :D

P.S. Have started on the next project: Our baby book. This one was gifted by a friend and it takes off from where the pregnancy journal ends. I am already mostly up-to-date with that one but the completion is going to take a while as it covers the first 5 years! That seems a long time considering our babe is not even 5 months old!